Abstract

The paper explains the elements of a holistic framework on design for ship safety addressing in particular an effective balance among risk, cost and performance criteria. Ship safety can be influenced by several factors over time and it is apparent that all such factors should be taken into account, in a balanced and systematic manner during the life-cycle of the vessel, in order to reach an acceptable, viable solution optimally. Particular attention is paid on the balance of conflicting risks and costs deriving from different hazards, as well as in techniques used for the estimation of risks levels based on first-principles tools. A case study is presented to address the application of the developed framework, aiming to provide insight in the proposed procedure as well as to demonstrate its potential for wider application.